Space Confirmation
Destination DC and the Walter E. Washington Convention Center staff work in close partnership throughout the booking process, and your event. Destination DC introduces you to the building during site visits to determine the dates and spaces your meeting requires along with other considerations important for your destination selection. Destination DC holds “tentative” dates for your event while you are considering Washington, DC. The Center begins the licensing process 18-24 months prior to the start date of your event. The license agreement outlines the space usage, deposit schedule, payment process and other information relating to the Center. Any returning event to the Center that has an outstanding balance must be paid in full before licensing can begin.
Deposits:
Below is a deposit schedule: A 25% reservation deposit of the minimum rental, along with a signed license agreement must be returned to the Center within 30 days of receipt. A 25% intermediate payment of the minimal rental is due six months prior to event. The remaining 50% of the minimum rental is due seven days prior to the first day of move-in For events with rental fees of $5,000 or less, or events booked and scheduled to arrive within 30 days are to be paid in full at the time of licensing.
Use of Common Areas:
As noted in your license agreement, common areas of the Center (including such areas as the exterior, entrances, public concourses, lobbies and the L Street Bridge, etc.) that are available for your use, but may also be accessible to other customers for concurrent access, signage, banners and for use as required by their event activity. We frequently have more than one event taking place in the building at the same time. Therefore, we coordinate and approve the use of common areas for specific events in order to ensure each customer’s access to their licensed areas are accommodated.
Services and Facilities included in Rental of Exhibit Halls:
Designated show office for each exhibit hall licensed Full lights and appropriate HVAC during event hours. Customary work lighting during move-in and move-out. Registration space, subject to availability and assigned in consideration of other licensed customers. Permanent paging microphone for exhibit halls Aisle cleaning until carpet is installed, and cleaning of non-carpeted aisles. Ongoing emptying of trash receptacles during event hours, cleaning of common areas, restrooms and food service facilities, excluding booth space. Daily cleaning of show offices and meeting rooms. One trash haul per event at no charge. We will list your event on the calendar of events on our website, and we will link your website to www.dcconvention.com, unless you request otherwise. Meeting Rooms are provided at no charge in direct proportion to the number of exhibit halls licensed, and subject to availability; up to 12 rooms are assigned per exhibit hall used. Additional meeting rooms over the same dates may be rented for a one time charge at the daily meeting room rate, based on availability.Meeting rooms used for educational sessions may be available two days before each session for setup, through the day after the session ends for move-out. Meeting rooms used for show offices may be available for the entire license period. For general sessions held in exhibit halls, a one-time theater setup for a maximum of 6,000 seats per hall is included in the rental fee, as well as a main stage at a single height with maximum dimensions of 60 feet wide by 40 feet deep by 48 inches high, inventory permitting. Additional equipment such as dance floor units, production platforms, camera risers, additional seating, etc. will be charged at prevailing rates.
Services and Facilities included in Rental of Meeting Rooms:
All meeting rooms and the Ballroom, whether rented separately or as part of exhibit hall rental fee, include the following at no additional charge. One-time standard setup in theater, classroom, conference or banquet style Skirted head table
- Water service for speaker’s platform
- One standard lectern
- One wired microphone (lectern, table top or aisle)
- Skirted registration table, hand-out table and easel outside room
- (if requested)
- SMO with complimentary permanent paging microphone station for each meeting room.
- Complimentary event information displayed throughout facility on LCD and LED monitors.
- Skirted speakers’ riser in rooms set for 100 or more (stage maximum size for ballroom is 40x60 at 48’’ high)
- Daily cleaning of meeting rooms
- Comfortable temperature
Additional Charges:
The following services and equipment are available for additional charges: Food and Beverage services are provided by our exclusive service partner Centerplate/NBSE. Event (Show Management) Utilities including electrical, internet, telephone and plumbing services required for management offices and booths,registration, etc. These services are typically one-time charges and are billed at show management rates by our exclusive service partners, Hi-Tech Electric and Smart City Washington. Audio Visual, Video, Presentation and Production Equipment, including all additional microphones (after the first wired microphone per meeting room), presentation, video and theatrical production systems and recording connections for conference sessions are available through our service partner, Projection Presentation Technology/ TEAMPro. Bulk Trash Removal hauls are billed at $500.00 per dumpster or compactor. The Center does not bill for the first trash haul from each event. Trash hauls that consist of recyclable materials are not billed back. This excludes contaminated materials trash hauls. Customized lighting patterns may be requested for each hall. Prevailing labor rates will apply, contact your event manager. Meeting Room Changeovers on the exhibit hall floor, two-tiered stages and other special configurations will be charged at prevailing rates. We understand additional charges can add up quickly. Below are examples of items that can generate additional charges. Your event manager will work closely with you during planning to explore ways to avoid or minimize additional charges:
- Meeting room changeovers
- Additional equipment and furniture beyond initial setup
- Tables used for exhibits in meeting rooms
- Air conditioning/heating in exhibit halls during move-in and/or move-out
- Full overhead lights in exhibit halls during move-in and/or move-out
- Additional trash hauls (after the first one at no charge)
- Metropolitan Police Department or other additional security personnel
- Damages to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center or Walter E. Washington Convention Center equipment
- Registration, public areas and/or and meeting rooms which you sublet to exhibitors
- Dedicated restroom attendants
- Special inspections of temporary rigging installations
- Lost or misplaced keycards
- Water service for attendees
Medical Service Requirements:
You must provide on-site medical services for your event beginning with move in and through, move out, if your attendance is projected to be 500 or more people. Your medical services provider must be licensed in the District of Columbia.Please see Section 12 for medical service staffing guidelines.
Additional Charges:
Customers are responsible for the security needs of their event space, and must contract with an independent security company to provide event security and crowd management services. A list of security companies that offer security services to our customers and meet District of Columbia requirements for guard services and our service standard guidelines, as well as minimum numbers of security officers required at each location are in the appendix.
Event security services are required throughout your licensed period during move-in, event days and move-out. Your security contractor must provide us with your event security deployment plan 45 days in advance of your event. The plan must include dates, times, assigned posts, number of supervisors. Upon review of your plan, we may require additional security personnel.
We require Metropolitan Police Department officer(s) to be stationed at active cash handling stations such as box offices, registration and bookstores. Security services can make arrangements for these off-duty officers and bill you for their services.
The standard for event security personnel is that they be unarmed. Uniformed, District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department officers are the primary source for armed security services. Armed contract security services must be approved in writing by the Manager of Security Services.
Crowd Management:
If your event is open to the public or could potentially have long queue lines for any activity, you are required to make the necessary arrangements for safe and efficient crowd management. This includes appropriate plans for queuing lines at the box office and at the entrance to the event, safety personnel to manage safe access to escalators, safety staff inside the event, and staff to manage the safe egress from the event. These details should be included in your security deployment plan. Your event manager will initiate a planning meeting with your security contractor and our security services department to facilitate the crowd management plan.
Public Events:
Ticketed events open to the general public are required to follow the same guidelines and regulations as conventions, annual meetings and trade shows.
The following additional guidelines pertain primarily to consumer and public shows.
a. Hours of Operation: Because the Center offers no public parking and adjoins a residential area, we require that all events for which tickets are available to the general public close no later than one hour before the closing of the Metro. Metro’s current closing hours are 12:00 midnight Sunday through Thursday, and 3:00 AM Friday and Saturday.
b. Turnstiles/Ticket Drop Boxes: We have a limited inventory of turnstiles and ticket drop boxes available on a first come, first serve basis. Please reserve them with your event manager.
c. Box Office: The Center does not have permanent box offices. Please make arrangements with your general service contractor to install box office(s).
Concerts, Dances, Sporting Events:
There are additional requirements for independently licensed events such as concerts, dances, sporting events which are not held in conjunction with an existing booking. Consult your sales manager for further information.
Insurance Requirements:
As specified in your license agreement, please submit a Certificate of Insurance that complies with our insurance requirements at least twenty-one (21) days prior to the first move-in day.Insurance coverage must be in effect during all dates specified in the license (move-in, show days, and move-out). A sample certificate of insurance can be found in the appendix. Below is a summary of minimum coverage required:
Comprehensive General Liability as follows with the following limits:
Commercial General Liability General aggregate $2,000,000 Products-completed operations aggregate $2,000,000 Personal and advertising injury $1,000,000 Each occurrence $1,000,000 Fire damage (any one fire) $1,000,000 Medical (any one person) $10,000 Automobile Liability Combined single limit $1,000,000 Workers Compensation and Employers Liability Each Accident$100,000 Disease – policy limit $100,000 Disease – each employee $100,000 Additional Insureds: You must list The Walter E. Washington Convention Center, The Washington Convention Center Authority Board of Directors, officers, employees and District of Columbia government as additional insured’s under your coverage. If you prefer, insurance may be purchased through the WCCA. Consult your sales manager for further information. No move-in may begin until we have received a valid Certificate of Insurance.
Net Square Footage:
Net square footage is calculated by the actual occupied booth space in use by exhibitors. The Center may elect to deduct up to 5% of that calculation to allow for complimentary exhibits on the show floor.
Billing and Invoices:
Your event manager schedules a meeting before the last day of your license with you and a member of our accounting department to review your preliminary event billing summary. Outstanding balances as well as new charges that have accrued are reviewed at this meeting. We ask you to verify and approve the net square footage that has been calculated by your event manager so that a correct final invoice can be issued.
The final invoice is sent to you with all charges and back-up information within three weeks. Invoices are payable within 30 days. Our service partners (Centerplate/NBSE, Hi Tech Electric, Smart City Washington, and Projection) submit separate invoices for the services they provide for your event.
If you have questions about any items or services on the invoice, please contact us immediately.